The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-02-09
A RICH MANS STORY.
How Charles Crocker Accumulated His
Vast Millions i'm Thirty Years

How Charles Croker Accumulated His
Vast Millions i'm Thirty Years.
1850. 1860. 1886.
Nothing. $4,000. $4,000 0'0.
That is short but sweet. Certainly,
but what is it? The story of Charles
Croker in petto.
Thus the New York World begins an
account OF this rich man, and con-
tinues; Croker is q native of New
York State. His family were intelli-
gent but very poor. He was originally
gifted with natural virility of body,
with never-failing good-nature, with a
big heart, generous impulses, and a
strain of push and energy suth as made
George Law conspicuous among the
contractors of the world. Tired OF try
ing to do something here, Croker went
to California in the early days. He was
not cut out for q miner; he knew moth
ing of refining processes with metals.
He had no capital with which to en-
bark in any of a thousand and one
speculative schemes laid before the
fortunate ones of the golden shore, so
he started, in what was then little
town, thread and needle store, where
all sorts and kinds of feminine. neces-
saries could be procured, from the
humble bodkin along the line of pins,
buttons, shoe-strings, facings, under
wear of every name and description, to
the more pretentious garments. In
fact, to quote the words of Senator
Hugh McDermott, the well-known poet
and writer, whose local habitation,
though not his name, is confined to
New Jersey, he would have been glad
enough to sell out everything he had
for clean 81, 500 in 1854"
Crocker's saving habits, the frugality
of his wife, always helpmate, his alb
stemiousness, brought about their
normal results, so that when the Judah
proposition was made Croker was able
to chip in with the rest. The first few
miles of road were easily built, and
when, in 1862, Huntington, then in
Washington, wired to his partner STAN
ford, then in Sacramento, that the bill
which had passed Congress giving to
the builders of the Central Pacific and
the Union Pacific Railways every al
ternate section of land on their respec-
tive lines and $4,000 for every mile of
railroad built, was signed by the Presi-
dent and had become a law, Stanford,
turning TO q well-known resident of
San Francisco at the time, said 4:
"Theres the basis of an imperial for
tune" Already a large number of
miles had been built from Sacramento
on and into the imperial fortune" at
the rate of 5000 a mile when the
chief parties, the big four, entered into
possession. Each gave up his former
business to push the new venture. and
TO Croker, who had developed already
much executive energy and driving
power, was assigned the post of builder.
For eight years he literally lived in
his shirt-sleeves and overalls. He knew
no rest; he had no sleep comparatively.
He cared nothing for home, nor for
life, nor for aught save the prosecution
of that great work which, so far as he
thought about it, was to turn into his
Golfers large share of the imperial
fortune of which his partner smoke,
little thinking of the tremendous service
he and his friends were rendering to
the world at large and the people of
this country in particular. The two
roads were rivals. Each started from
the Pacific slope. The Central Pacific
soon encountered tremendous engineer
ing difficulties, and instead OF building
several miles of railroad day, some
times as high as eight, as the Union
Pacific people are doing, they were
lucky IT they built mile fortnight.
Having reached the summit of noun
tain it occurred to their bright minds
TO skip the valley intervening between
it and its fellow, some twenty miles
away, and they did so, reaching then
plateau where they were enabled to
build eight, ten, twelve miles of road a
day; miles which, according to sort of
legislative codicil, warranted them in
drawing $4,000 each, instead of the
original 800, ZOO, while passengers were
brought by stage from the temporary
terminus on the top of the one noun
tain to the starting point this side.
AS methodical as ever, Gro ker held
on to his share of the bonds, TO his
proportion of the stock, and became.
almost in the twinkling of an eye, as
rich to-day as he was poor yesterday.
Sacramento was no longer large enough
to accommodate the Crockerian expanse.
He moved to San Francisco. his esti-
mable family accompanying him. Most
fortunate in the selection of partner
for life, happily blessed with children
who were gifted in head and heart, the
man Of millions found no difficulty in
securing q social entree for his family,
while he disported himself in his great,
big, good-natured, boyish way among
his fellow-magnates of the Western
slope.